CVE-2026-86895 in iPadOS
Summary
by MITRE • 09/15/2026
An information disclosure issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, tvOS 27, visionOS 27, watchOS 27. A local app may be able to read a persistent account identifier.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2026
The disclosed vulnerability represents a critical flaw in the state management mechanisms of Apple's operating systems, specifically affecting iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS versions prior to their respective 27th major releases. This issue is classified as an information disclosure vulnerability where improper handling of application states allows for the unauthorized access to sensitive data that should remain isolated within specific security boundaries. The core technical flaw lies in how persistent account identifiers are stored and retrieved across different execution contexts or when transitioning between foreground and background states, creating a window of opportunity for malicious actors to intercept this data through local exploitation techniques.
From a technical perspective, the vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization or isolation of session tokens and unique device identifiers that are used to maintain user continuity within applications. When an application transitions its state, particularly when moving between active use and suspended states, the system fails to properly clear or encrypt these persistent identifiers in memory or on disk where they remain accessible to other local processes. This lack of strict compartmentalization means that any locally installed application with sufficient permissions can query the operating system's shared storage areas or intercept inter-process communication channels to extract these identifiers. The persistence of this data ensures that even after an app is closed, the identifier remains readable by subsequent applications launched on the same device, facilitating long-term tracking and profiling without user consent.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for both end-users and enterprise environments relying on mobile devices for sensitive operations. By reading a persistent account identifier, a local malicious application can build detailed profiles of users across different services if those identifiers are correlated with external databases or used as keys in weak encryption schemes. This capability undermines the principle of least privilege by allowing low-privilege apps to access high-value data typically reserved for system-level processes or specific trusted applications. In enterprise settings, this could lead to unauthorized tracking of employee activities on corporate-owned devices, potentially violating privacy policies and regulatory compliance requirements such as GDPR or CCPA which mandate strict controls over personal identifiable information storage and access.
This vulnerability aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) category CWE-200, which defines exposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor, specifically falling under improper state management practices that fail to protect data during transitions. In the context of the MITRE ATT&CK framework for mobile platforms, this behavior corresponds to techniques related to Collection and Credential Access, where attackers leverage local application permissions to gather device-specific identifiers that can be used for further reconnaissance or account takeover attempts if those identifiers are reused across multiple services with weaker security postures. The ability to read persistent identifiers effectively allows an attacker to fingerprint devices and correlate activities over time, bypassing standard privacy controls designed to prevent cross-app tracking.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve the software updates provided by Apple in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, tvOS 27, visionOS 27, and watchOS 27, which address these state management flaws through enhanced isolation mechanisms and stricter enforcement of data access policies for local applications. Developers must ensure that their applications do not rely on persistent identifiers stored in shared spaces without proper encryption or tokenization. For organizations deploying these devices, it is crucial to enforce regular patching cycles to mitigate exposure until the updated operating systems are widely adopted. Additionally, implementing mobile device management solutions with strict application sandboxing policies can help limit the damage caused by any remaining vulnerabilities by restricting inter-app communication and data sharing capabilities at a policy level rather than relying solely on OS-level fixes.